MHS students win prestigious art awards

MHS students win prestigious art awards

Posted on 01/25/2016

Winners for the annual Scholastic Art Awards, the largest regional and national art competition, were announced today. Out of 1,220 submissions in the mid and southern Willamette Valley, McMinnville High School (MHS) students won a number of prestigious awards. Work is rated for originality, technical skill and student voice.

This year, MHS students garnered the first Gold Keys (first prizes) in three years, as well as an American Visions nomination for Mya Clover-Owens.

Individual Gold Key and Silver & Gold Key Portfolio winners move on to the national competition to showcase work at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May. These students include Mya Clover-Owens (The Ceram Fam art portfolio and “Impressed Vase”), Lillian Hallett (“mood”), Allie Pope (“Hold me Down”) and Chloe Zinda (“Poisoned Pollution”).

“An ‘American Visions’ award is considered the best in show regionally,” said MHS art teacher Christine Kinny. “Only five are selected across ALL categories, and at the national level, these are juried by a special panel of jurors, and one is chosen as the ‘American Visions Medalist’ from these five.”

Gold Key winners are eligible for a $10,000 scholarship and Gold/Silver portfolios are eligible for a $1,000 award.“Many colleges will grant merit- based awards on the recognition alone,” said Kinney.

Gold Key winners will also be showcased at the Benton County Historical Society in Philomath from March 11 to April 9, 2016.

A full list of MHS honored artists and works (organized by category) is below: